Converting video files for burning to VCD

John Pettigrew

26 Nov 2003 26 Nov '03

19:55

I have some movies that I'd like to put on a VCD so that I can play them on my DVD player. However, I can't work out how to convert them into the relevant format. I have k3b working, so that end isn't the problem. However, k3b expects mpeg2 files for a VCD and most of my movies are avi, mov and other formats. I've tried transcode and mencoder, I've tried MainActor (from 8.2 DVD) and LiVES, to no avail. Is there a simple way to convert an input video file into a format suitable for burning onto a VCD? Preferably, a nice easy GUI, but command line is fine. The problems range from outputting video only or separate video and audio files (transcode) to opening the (large) video files and then freezing (MainActor) to apparently saving the file but not actually producing output (LiVES). TiA John -- John Pettigrew Headstrong Games john@headstrong-games.co.uk Fun : Strategy : Price http://www.headstrong-games.co.uk/ Board games that won't break the bank Fields of Valour: 2 Norse clans battle on one of 3 different boards

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Derek Fountain

27 Nov 27 Nov

00:55

New subject: [SLE] Converting video files for burning to VCD

...

However, k3b expects mpeg2 files for a VCD and most of my movies are avi, mov and other formats.

Constant bit rate MPEG1 for VCD, surely? MPEG2 is SVCD and DVD.

...

I've tried transcode and mencoder, I've tried MainActor (from 8.2 DVD) and LiVES, to no avail. Is there a simple way to convert an input video file into a format suitable for burning onto a VCD?

Simple answer: no. Converting video formats is horribly complicated. There's so many input variables and so many types of output which might be required for various purposes that the whole process can't be pinning down easily. Getting output which your DVD player will accept and play with the right aspect ratio at the right quality is a problem which you have to solve differently each time you do it (or at least until you find a source file with exactly the same parameters as one you've seen before). I use mplayer and mjpegtools myself. The gist is to play to a FIFO called (by default) stream.yuv with something like: mplayer -vo yuv4mpeg -ao null file.avi and then in another shell: cat stream.yuv | mpeg2enc -f1 -o file.m1v Then use mplayer to pull out the audio, toolame to encode it to MP2 format, then mplex to multiplex the m1v and mp2 tracks together. After an awful lot of pratting about with widescreen/letterboxing and other, seemingly endless details, you might be happy with the job. --

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eatapple core dump

BandiPat

02:21

New subject: [SLE] Converting video files for burning to VCD

On Wednesday 26 November 2003 07:55 pm, Derek Fountain wrote:

...

...
However, k3b expects mpeg2 files for a VCD and most of my movies are avi, mov and other formats.

Constant bit rate MPEG1 for VCD, surely? MPEG2 is SVCD and DVD.

...
I've tried transcode and mencoder, I've tried MainActor (from 8.2 DVD) and LiVES, to no avail. Is there a simple way to convert an input video file into a format suitable for burning onto a VCD?

Simple answer: no. Converting video formats is horribly complicated. There's so many input variables and so many types of output which might be required for various purposes that the whole process can't be pinning down easily. Getting output which your DVD player will accept and play with the right aspect ratio at the right quality is a problem which you have to solve differently each time you do it (or at least until you find a source file with exactly the same parameters as one you've seen before).

I use mplayer and mjpegtools myself. The gist is to play to a FIFO called (by default) stream.yuv with something like:

mplayer -vo yuv4mpeg -ao null file.avi

and then in another shell:

cat stream.yuv | mpeg2enc -f1 -o file.m1v

Then use mplayer to pull out the audio, toolame to encode it to MP2 format, then mplex to multiplex the m1v and mp2 tracks together.

After an awful lot of pratting about with widescreen/letterboxing and other, seemingly endless details, you might be happy with the job.

--

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eatapple

core dump ================

That's not entirely true Derek as making vcds can be easy & fun! Why would I say this? Probably because I have done this already! ;o) Made a svcd, as a matter of fact, the job turned out great. Not quite DVD quality, but so close you aren't going to complain. I used kavi2svcd to do the job of burning the mpeg to cdr. It is a graphical frontend to transcode. Transcode is very powerful, but a bit difficult to get to the features. In talking with the developer of k3b, he mentioned adding more control to k3b, but probably not until after the new year. So for the moment, kavi2svcd works nicely. You can also convert your avi file to mpeg with kavi2svcd, thus making it pretty simple to use one program. I believe the DVD::rip will do much the same, but have not tested that yet. So rip with k3b, then use kavi2svcd to finish it off. Lee -- --- KMail v1.5.4 --- SuSE Linux Pro v9.0 --- Registered Linux User #225206 On any other day, that might seem strange...

Derek Fountain

02:46

New subject: [SLE] Converting video files for burning to VCD

...

Made a svcd, as a matter of fact, the job turned out great. Not quite DVD quality, but so close you aren't going to complain. I used kavi2svcd to do the job of burning the mpeg to cdr. It is a graphical frontend to transcode.

Interesting. I'll have to have a look at that. It probably does the same as TmpGEnc on Windows - a nice wrapper to the tools, which makes sensible guesses based on what you appear to be be trying to do. These sorts of tools do work for the basic cases, but, in my experience, tend to fail miserably as soon as they are presented with something a little out of the ordinary. What happens if you give it an AVI with a non-standard aspect ratio, for example? Or with an unexpected sound track format? In the Windows world there are dozens of tools, all of which claim to be able to do certain things with video files. Some do it well, others poorly or not at all. Knowing the tool for the job is part of the battle. In the Linux world mplayer and transcode can do most things between them, so maybe life is made a bit simpler by less choice. Thanks for the info - I'll look at kavi2svcd later today. --

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eatapple core dump

Donald Henson

14:10

New subject: [SLE] Converting video files for burning to VCD

On Wed, 2003-11-26 at 19:21, BandiPat wrote:

...

On Wednesday 26 November 2003 07:55 pm, Derek Fountain wrote:

...
...
However, k3b expects mpeg2 files for a VCD and most of my movies are avi, mov and other formats.

Constant bit rate MPEG1 for VCD, surely? MPEG2 is SVCD and DVD.

...
I've tried transcode and mencoder, I've tried MainActor (from 8.2 DVD) and LiVES, to no avail. Is there a simple way to convert an input video file into a format suitable for burning onto a VCD?

Simple answer: no. Converting video formats is horribly complicated. There's so many input variables and so many types of output which might be required for various purposes that the whole process can't be pinning down easily. Getting output which your DVD player will accept and play with the right aspect ratio at the right quality is a problem which you have to solve differently each time you do it (or at least until you find a source file with exactly the same parameters as one you've seen before).

I use mplayer and mjpegtools myself. The gist is to play to a FIFO called (by default) stream.yuv with something like:

mplayer -vo yuv4mpeg -ao null file.avi

and then in another shell:

cat stream.yuv | mpeg2enc -f1 -o file.m1v

Then use mplayer to pull out the audio, toolame to encode it to MP2 format, then mplex to multiplex the m1v and mp2 tracks together.

After an awful lot of pratting about with widescreen/letterboxing and other, seemingly endless details, you might be happy with the job.

--

...
eatapple

core dump ================

That's not entirely true Derek as making vcds can be easy & fun! Why would I say this? Probably because I have done this already! ;o)

Made a svcd, as a matter of fact, the job turned out great. Not quite DVD quality, but so close you aren't going to complain. I used kavi2svcd to do the job of burning the mpeg to cdr. It is a graphical frontend to transcode. Transcode is very powerful, but a bit difficult to get to the features. In talking with the developer of k3b, he mentioned adding more control to k3b, but probably not until after the new year. So for the moment, kavi2svcd works nicely. You can also convert your avi file to mpeg with kavi2svcd, thus making it pretty simple to use one program.

I believe the DVD::rip will do much the same, but have not tested that yet. So rip with k3b, then use kavi2svcd to finish it off.

Lee -- --- KMail v1.5.4 --- SuSE Linux Pro v9.0 --- Registered Linux User #225206 On any other day, that might seem strange...

Where might I expect to find kavi2svcd, and the gui? Don Henson

BandiPat

14:14

New subject: [SLE] Converting video files for burning to VCD

On Thursday 27 November 2003 09:10 am, Donald Henson wrote: [...]

...

Where might I expect to find kavi2svcd, and the gui?

Don Henson ===============

Why on Packman's site of course! ;o) Lee -- --- KMail v1.5.4 --- SuSE Linux Pro v9.0 --- Registered Linux User #225206 On any other day, that might seem strange...

Donald Henson

15:33

New subject: [SLE] Converting video files for burning to VCD

On Thu, 2003-11-27 at 07:14, BandiPat wrote:

...

On Thursday 27 November 2003 09:10 am, Donald Henson wrote: [...]

...
Where might I expect to find kavi2svcd, and the gui?

Don Henson ===============

Why on Packman's site of course! ;o)

Lee -- --- KMail v1.5.4 --- SuSE Linux Pro v9.0 --- Registered Linux User #225206 On any other day, that might seem strange...

Makes sense. I'll check it out. Don Henson

John Pettigrew

19:11

New subject: [SLE] Converting video files for burning to VCD

In a previous message, BandiPat wrote:

...

I used kavi2svcd to do the job of burning the mpeg to cdr.

This looks like just what I had in mind - thanks! Could I ask one technicalish question about SVCD? Can I create a widescreen SVCD or do I have to use the 4:3 ratio? The original file I want to put on CD is 16:9 and I'd like to keep that rather than reduce the scale to fit it into 4:3. But if I can't, I guess I'll live with that! I *could* just try anyway, but transcode takes quite a while to process this file (it's large), which discourages experimentation. I'd already looked at DVD:Rip, but that only works if you're ripping the file, not if you've already got a file on HD that you want to put on a S/VCD :-) Thanks, John -- John Pettigrew Headstrong Games john@headstrong-games.co.uk Fun : Strategy : Price http://www.headstrong-games.co.uk/ Board games that won't break the bank Knossos: escape the ever-changing labyrinth before the Minotaur catches you!

BandiPat

23:39

New subject: [SLE] Converting video files for burning to VCD

On Thursday 27 November 2003 02:11 pm, John Pettigrew wrote:

...

In a previous message, BandiPat wrote:

...
I used kavi2svcd to do the job of burning the mpeg to cdr.

This looks like just what I had in mind - thanks!

Could I ask one technicalish question about SVCD? Can I create a widescreen SVCD or do I have to use the 4:3 ratio? The original file I want to put on CD is 16:9 and I'd like to keep that rather than reduce the scale to fit it into 4:3. But if I can't, I guess I'll live with that!

I *could* just try anyway, but transcode takes quite a while to process this file (it's large), which discourages experimentation.

I'd already looked at DVD:Rip, but that only works if you're ripping the file, not if you've already got a file on HD that you want to put on a S/VCD

:-)

Thanks,

John ================

John, To the best of my knowledge, from my small bit of experimentation, is that it retains the original aspect ratio. I did a widescreen movie with it and everything was as it suppose to be. Thought maybe you might like this one. ;o) Oh, you might have to play with the recording command, when you get ready for that. It tried to use root to do the burning and if your programs, cdrecord, are already set to be used with k3b, then you don't need root. Seems like I had to tweak a couple of other things, but it was painless overall. Lee -- --- KMail v1.5.4 --- SuSE Linux Pro v9.0 --- Registered Linux User #225206 On any other day, that might seem strange...

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BandiPat
Derek Fountain
Donald Henson
John Pettigrew